You mean the cops right? The actual people were hiding in their holes.

Cops are actual people too. And there were people who were on Bane's team who believed they were fighting for a better Gotham as well. The brother of that kid who Blake knew at the orphanage had worked for Bane, and so did Catwoman. In a way, The League of shadows believed that they were doing a good thing and making a difference.

There is a point being made by Bane's making ordinary citizens memebers of his organization. Its like in BB, there is Batman taking the law into his own hands. In TDK, Batman and a couple of copycats taking the law into their own hands. Then in TDKR, the whole city takes the law into their own hands.